Tell us what matters to you most

With revenues from the state and local property taxes declining, city government will undoubtedly be affected. Difficult decisions will most likely have to be made regarding programs and personnel. A key component in these decisions will require feedback from a usually quiet faction: you, the residents.

We are nearly at the end of the first quarter of the city’s fiscal year. The fiscal year is how the city’s budget is organized, and that year, unlike a calendar year, begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the following calendar year. Typically, budget preparation begins in earnest in late January and, as required by the city Charter, the budget must be formally adopted by the City Council (two-thirds vote) no later than the first meeting in June.

The city charter also requires a public hearing on the budget, usually scheduled for one of the City Council’s May meetings. As is the case in most communities, not many, if any, residents appear before the Council for this public hearing. In all honesty, why should they? A public hearing scheduled that closely to the required adoption date of the budget is usually nothing more than a procedural rubber-stamp. With the looming changes, though, the staff and the City Council are going to need your input more than ever before.

Before we can make the most of your input, we may need to illustrate how the city is organized and how it operates. Without that knowledge, how sound can your input be? That would be like asking me to eliminate parts of a car to reduce the cost, but I may not understand the function and interaction of all of the parts.

One of the most effective training tools for residents is a Citizens Academy. I had the opportunity to conduct such an academy while serving the City of Linden. The curriculum was designed to be delivered in six two-hour sessions. The sessions covered several of the critical departments and functions of the city: the city charter and general organization, the city clerk, the city treasurer and the budget, public safety, public works and facilities. Over the course of a few years, about 30 Linden residents took the opportunity to learn more about their city. With sufficient interest, I would be interested in preparing similar instruction for Davison, perhaps beginning as early as January 2010. Let me know if you would be interested in learning more about your city government. Optimistically, a group of more than 12 becomes unwieldy, so if interest is wonderfully high, I may have to limit the size of the group.

Another tool that I hope to use for next year’s budget preparation is a community survey. Before I can formally begin the development of the survey, I have asked Davison Township, Richfield Township and Davison School District officials to participate in the survey, as well. It should be possible to tailor some of the questions to solicit responses that may be more directly related to those organizations.

The survey would be distributed by mail, to a randomly selected sample group of about 1,000 area residents. The proposed timeline is to develop the survey this fall, distribute the survey in January, collect the data in February, analyze the data in March and present the data in April. The bulk of the work would be done by students as part of Oakland University’s public administration program in an effort to reduce the cost of the project (which would be allocated among the participating governments).

Although an April presentation date of the data is close to the end of our budget process, it may be possible to use the data to validate our budget decisions or, if necessary, amend those decisions. I would attempt to conduct a similar survey every five years to review the impact of our decisions as perceived by the general public.

Citizen input is critical to effective government. With the economy continuing to stagger, the programs and services that matter the most to you are important to us at City Hall. I look forward to sharing as much as I can about the city with you as I hope that you are willing to share your thoughts and goals with me.